Pollution linked to nine million deaths each year worldwide, equivalent

McGill University News Oct 25, 2017

It kills more people than malaria, AIDs, and TB combined.

Report highlights:

Air pollution is the biggest contributor, linked to 6.5 million deaths in 2015, while water pollution (1.8 million deaths) and workplace-related pollution (0.8 million deaths) pose the next largest risks.
Almost all pollution-related deaths (92%) occur in low- and middle-income countries, and in rapidly industrialising countries (such as India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Madagascar and Kenya), deaths due to pollution can account for up to one in four deaths, disproportionately affecting the poor and marginalised in every country worldwide.
Most of these deaths are due to non-communicable diseases caused by pollution such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
With many emerging chemical pollutants still to be identified, these figures are likely to underestimate the true burden of pollution-related disease and death.
Welfare losses due to pollution are estimated to cost more than US$4.6 trillion each year, equivalent to 6.2% of global economic output.

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